This invention relates to a device for rapidly terminating a coaxial cable and completing the electrical connections therefrom. The device may be used for supporting and connecting the cable to an antenna which can be mounted thereon.
Most coaxial cables, while quite effective in carrying signals with minimal losses, are difficult to work with when they must be terminated and electrically connected. The signal carrying center conductor is commonly spaced and insulated from the outer braided ground shield by a foam plastic material which melts easily at low temperatures. Soldering the coaxial cable conductors is thus difficult, since the softened plastic allows the center conductor to short to the braided shield conductor. One solution is to strip a considerable length of the cable to expose a long section of the center conductor, and to solder only the very end thereof, perhaps with a heat sink attached to the center conductor. However, the exposed center conductor must again be protected electrically and supported physically. Further, for maximum efficiency the continuity of the impedence and shielding should be maintained.
Numerous connectors have therefore been designed to reduce as much as possible the need for exposing long lengths of the center conductor and for soldering. These connectors also seek to maintain the continuity of the electrical characteristics as far as possible. Unfortunately, such prior art devices are usually complicated, intricate, difficult to work with, and unnecessarily expensive. Thus, while perhaps suitable for certain specialized applications, they are less than ideal for volume applications such as in connection with citizens band radios.